Nurses Win Violence Prevention Standard

Labor News

NURSES WIN VIOLENCE PREVENTION STANDARD: A set of trailblazing regulations to prevent workplace violence in California’s hospitals and care facilities gained unanimous approval Thursday from the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The rules were issued under 2014 legislation backed by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. “This is a landmark day for the entire country, as California has now set the bar with the strongest workplace violence regulation in the nation,” Bonnie Castillo, director of health and safety for CNA/NNU, said in a statement.

Health care workers experience rates of non-fatal injuries due to workplace violence five to 12 times greater than for other workers, according to an April report by the Government Accountability Office. In July a coalition of eight labor groups petitioned the US Labor Department to issue a standard. In a written statement, CNA/NNU said California’s new regulations “define workplace violence broadly to encompass actual acts of violence, as well as the threat of violence; emphasize prevention over criminalization; and require employers to develop a comprehensive Workplace Violence Prevention Plan including prevention, training, and worker participation.”